The Illustrated London Reading Book eBook

Then constant Faith, and holy
Hope shall vie,
One lost in certainty, and
one in joy:
Whilst thou, more happy pow’r,
fair Charity,
Triumphant sister, greatest
of the three,
Thy office, and thy nature
still the same,
Lasting thy lamp, and unconsumed
thy flame,
Shall still survive—­
Shall stand before the host
of heav’n confest,
For ever blessing, and for
ever blest.

PRIOR.

* * * *
*

SARDIS.

[Illustration: Letter S.]

Sardis, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Lydia,
is situated on the river Pactolus, in the fertile
plain below Mount Tmolus. Wealth, pomp, and luxury
characterised this city from very ancient times.
The story of Croesus, its last King, is frequently
alluded to by historians, as affording a remarkable
example of the instability of human greatness.
This Monarch considered himself the happiest of human
beings, but being checked by the philosopher Solon
for his arrogance, he was offended, and dismissed
the sage from his Court with disgrace. Not long
afterwards, led away by the ambiguous answers of the
oracles, he conducted a large army into the field
against Cyrus, the future conqueror of Babylon, but
was defeated, and obliged to return to his capital,
where he shut himself up. Hither he was soon
followed and besieged by Cyrus, with a far inferior
force; but, at the expiration of fourteen days, the
citadel, which had been deemed impregnable, was taken
by a stratagem, and Croesus was condemned to the flames.
When the sentence was about to be executed, he was
heard to invoke the name of Solon, and the curiosity
of Cyrus being excited, he asked the cause; and, having
heard his narrative, ordered him to be set free, and
subsequently received him into his confidence.

[Illustration: SARDIS.]

Under the Romans, Sardis declined in importance, and,
being destroyed by an earthquake, for some time lay
desolate, until it was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor
Tiberius.

The situation of Sardis is very beautiful, but the
country over which it looks is almost deserted, and
the valley is become a swamp. The hill of the
citadel, when seen from the opposite bank of the Hermus,
appears of a triangular form; and at the back of it
rise ridge after ridge of mountains, the highest covered
with snow, and many of them bearing evident marks
of having been jagged and distorted by earthquakes.
The citadel is exceedingly difficult of ascent; but
the magnificent view which it commands of the plain
of the Hermus, and other objects of interest, amply
repays the risk and fatigue. The village, small
as it is, boasts of containing one of the most remarkable
remains of antiquity in Asia; namely, the vast Ionic
temple of the heathen goddess Cybele, or the earth,
on the banks of the Pactolus. In 1750, six columns
of this temple were standing, but four of them have
since been thrown down by the Turks, for the sake
of the gold which they expected to find in the joints.